Black_Orpheus

 

 

The most famous Brazilian love story ever told will be making it’s way to Broadway with book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and directed by multi Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe.

Producers Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones-Harvey, and Paula Marie Black* have also announced that the score will include many of the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa, and Vinicius de Moraes themes from the motion picture.

Originally based on the play Orfeu de Conceição by the great Moraes, Black Orpheus resets the classic Greek love story of Eurydice and Orfeu against the back drop of a Rio de Janeiro favela during Carnival. Equal parts celebratory, erotic, haunting and tragic, Black Orpheus became an instant classic, winning the Cannes Palme d’Or and the 1959 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and introduced the world to Bossa Nova.

“We are so thrilled to bring this classic piece of Brazilian popular culture to life on stage,” said producer Stephen Byrd. “The World Cup is providing a wonderful international platform for Brazil right now, and we look forward to further spotlighting this legacy on Broadway!”

The family of Vincius de Moraes has offered the following statement:“At this exciting moment in time for the diversity of the Brazilian culture, the news that Black Orpheus will be realized as a musical on Broadway, under the aegis of George C. Wolfe and Lynn Nottage, could not be more thrilling. On behalf of the Vinicius de Moraes family, we know that these theatrical masters will do us proud.”